F104+SSK+122+62+77+50+Ergo orders now open! New Kishsaver+Industrial Model F Keyboards

[PRIPARA_PLAYER]

I know that the A01 is most common, but for historical accuracy I think it is best to mimic either the 003 because it is an SSK or the C01 because it used IBM buckling springs. It's not like the F62 or F77 are the most common Model F keyboards either, there's no need to go for something just because it's common.

[:Dön:]

Yes, I think you have a point.
The C01 and A01 have the same layout.
The A01 has many keys in English as standard, but it had a function to change them to Japanese characters by putting the sticker attached to it.
The 003 is a tenkeyless version of the a01, but without the sticker customisation options of the a01.
Please note that there are older IBM keyboards than the a01 and 003, so if you want a more classic keyboard, you can use katakana instead of hiragana.
I have friends who like old keyboards, and they say that katakana printing is more classic than hiragana.

[PRIPARA_PLAYER]

I use a 5954339 at work and think the katakana printing looks awesome, but since it's not buckling spring I think it's less accurate for the new Model F. I believe the legends on it are similar to 5556 legends.

[:Dön:]

A derivative of the 5576 001 was also available in katakana. This is certainly not a buckling switch, but the 5576 was consistently available in the series in Japan. The printing on the keycaps is also the same in the series; it is worth referring to the 003 and a01, as they were also brother switches and not Model M. In the first place, in Japan, c01 is mostly treated as 5576 series, not Model M.
By the way, I prefer the hiragana one lol.(；ﾟДﾟ)

[:Dön:]

A derivative of the 5576 001 was also available in katakana. This is certainly not a buckling switch, but the 5576 was consistently available in the series in Japan. The printing on the keycaps is also the same in the series; it is worth referring to the 003 and a01, as they were also brother switches and not Model M. In the first place, in Japan, c01 is mostly treated as 5576 series, not Model M.
By the way, I prefer the hiragana one lol.(；ﾟДﾟ)

[PRIPARA_PLAYER]

My memory is the early 5556 keyboards had katakana in the bottom right and Latin characters in the bottom left. If they wanted to make that layout I'd happily pick it up in addition to the current vintage proposal, it's quite cool looking imo.

[:Dön:]

I have one of the oldest IBM 5550 dedicated keyboards, which has double shot keycaps for high profile use. It has hiragana and alphabet. And it is a very cool and heavy keyboard.
Japanese keyboards generally used katakana more on older keyboards, but there are also hiragana models.
I'm a fan of hiragana, but fans of katakana will be saddened by the lack of the "ツ" character lol.

[Ellipse]

The next batch of key sets arrived! The first UK key set is going out next week as part of Chyrosran22's order (photo below).

2021-05-05_22-07-47.jpg (577.84 KiB) Viewed 8485 times

[an_achronism]

The next batch of key sets arrived! The first UK key set is going out next week as part of Chyrosran22's order (photo below).

2021-05-05_22-07-47.jpg

Ohoho! Marvellous. From the perspective of somebody who has also ordered a UK key set on exactly this configuration of F77, this photo gives me some confidence. Certainly beats the alignment on the Unicomp New Model M I bought last month, at any rate...

Thanks!

[darkcruix]

I was doing some work on getting proper buckling spring keycap storage systems and display trays created. I thought I am sharing the results here also:

Quoting myself ... I received version 2 of the trays - just wanted to share my little home production:

IMG_1430.jpg (780.16 KiB) Viewed 8372 times

[an_achronism]

I received version 2 of the trays - just wanted to share my little home production

Looks smashing!

[procom32]

I finally got QMK with VIA flashed!

A tip for those coming from the ibm capsense firmware, the easiest way is to use the ibm capsense usb util to put it in to DFU.

Thanks to @darkcruix for the work on that and once again to @pandrew for the initial QMK beta.
Now I just need my new keycaps and I will be in heaven, for the third time.
Every time I go back to this F62 board I get a grin.

[Zed]

Here is the latest for the JIS sets. We now have 3 versions.

JIS Standard.png (248.36 KiB) Viewed 8009 times

JIS Vintage.png (276.67 KiB) Viewed 8009 times

JIS Modern.png (153.84 KiB) Viewed 8009 times

[:Dön:]

The enter key on the numeric keypad part of the kana-less icon set should also be an arrow.
I will design the Mac-style JIS keycaps later and suggest them to zed.

[robo]

I wonder if the international layout discussion deserves being spun off into its own thread? It's kind of snowballed and overwhelmed this thread IMO.

[TinyOrnstein]

So I just got my F77 and upon installing all the keycaps I found that about 30% of the keys would click but not register when connected to a computer, I've reseated the keys, reseated the springs, stretched the springs (accidentally stretch one too much) and yet have maybe gotten one key that wasn't working to work.

Is there anything else I should try that I'm missing?
As a note, its not a whole row of keys that doesn't work or a specific section of the keyboard, its randomly spread across it.

Thanks in advance.

[Bjerrk]

So I just got my F77 and upon installing all the keycaps I found that about 30% of the keys would click but not register when connected to a computer, I've reseated the keys, reseated the springs, stretched the springs (accidentally stretch one too much) and yet have maybe gotten one key that wasn't working to work.

Is there anything else I should try that I'm missing?
As a note, its not a whole row of keys that doesn't work or a specific section of the keyboard, its randomly spread across it.

Try and have a look at the signal level monitor as described in this thread and tell us what you find.

[Jan Pospisil]

I wonder if the international layout discussion deserves being spun off into its own thread? It's kind of snowballed and overwhelmed this thread IMO.

Agreed.

[Ellipse]

Looks nice darkcruix! Is there a bottom to the pieces? How do the keys stay in place?

TinyOrnstein yes please do take a look at the manual - troubleshooting section. These keyboards unfortunately get bounced around in shipping and maybe the ribbon cable leads broke through the polyimide tape and made contact with the bottom of the case (only applicable for compact case models).

[TinyOrnstein]

So quick Update, I had taken the whole thing apart, swabbed the pcb swabbed the flappers. Just put it all the way back together after getting home from work and now it works flawlessly!

[latemodel24]

I got the one that went up for sale on ebay, and It came in today, I love it. The Unicomp caps don't seat near as easy as original xt caps, but it feels great. What is the best way to tune the spacebar to get rid of the rattle, and it binds ever so slightly on the right hand side. But, I love it so much, I plan on buying a reproduction set of keycaps, and a f62 to match

[Ellipse]

That's good news TinyOrnstein!

latemodel24 as a note the caps are made from the brand new one piece key cap molds produced for this project. The seating instructions are described in the booklet that comes with each keyboard as well as in the manual (involves holding the keyboard vertically, space bar end up). The manual also describes many ways to adjust the space bar.

[themartinc123]

TLDR: I wanted to check whether last orders before end of may is set in stone or temporary dates? And is it only for customized model F re-pro keyboards or all re-pro model F related items?

Hi,
Saw the update about the GB moving into packing/shipping stage with seemingly lots of back orders.
I find myself conflicted on joining the GB at this moment. The idea of the end of this GB might be the end of model F's swan song/ evolution deeply saddens me, I also worrying about repair parts drying up in the long run. However part of me do recognize that I am still in a stage of uncertainty in life, and generally not in a good position to join GBs. Still, the other part of me really wanted a re-pro model F, even though it might be challenging/ unwise of me, and despite I preferring full size over TKLs.

So I wanted to check whether last orders before end of may is set in stone or temporary plan? (or are there future rounds planned?/ I can't seem to find an end date of the early bird round?) .

P.S. This group buy had inspired me to buy and repair/mod a model F AT 2/3 years ago, by providing spare/upgrade parts for model Fs. I would be surprise if it is still early bird, as I recall seeing the listing at a lower price. // I am surprise that to learn that it has been a GB all along.

[xyzzy]

When I ordered my F62, the early bird orders were ending on 28 february 2016.

I received it 4 years and a couple of months later.

I’m pretty sure the end dates are still pretty… liquid, even though if you’re really into Model F keyboards I wouldn’t hesitate and place an order right now.

For me it’s the best board I’ve ever owned, period. It’s been my daily driver since I received it (replacing my M SSK).

[Ellipse]

themartinc123 I do offer a down payment / payment over time option - please PM me for details. We are not yet in the final round, so there is still time to order later this year.

To help keep these keyboards running I offer First Aid Kits in the store on the project web site - parts for future repairs many years from now (or for right now, if you happen to bend a spring when doing repairs or when installing or removing keys, as I have done many times!).

[Ellipse]

Here's another sound test that someone posted of the floss mod on a new Model F Keyboard - if you don't prefer the musical ringing sound after each key press as I do, the floss mod appears to keep the clickiness of the keyboard but remove most of the ringing.

I have tried to gather the reviews (including YouTube reviews and sound tests) all in one place: https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/brand-n ... ay-update/

[raoulduke-esq]

What are you doing? I've got a fever and the only cure is more PING! Why are you getting rid of ping????

[digi]

Hello, received my F77 and flashed QMK with the Via F77 - ANSI-ISO - PrintScr.hex firmware but it doesn't allow me to flash the two blank (white) keys, located above the left & right arrow keys. Any mapping I set in Via (on either key) doesn't take effect so I think I flashed the wrong firmware? To fix it, I want to reflash with Via F77 - ANSI-ISO - 0-9.hex but holding down both shift keys and B no longer allows me to get into the bootloader. Any ideas? Thanks

EDIT, fixed! Thanks to pandrew’s Model F QMK manual, just mapped a key to "Reset" in via and bam, took me into the bootloader. Woohooo

[ironicmoustache]

What are you doing? I've got a fever and the only cure is more PING! Why are you getting rid of ping????

There's no such thing as too much ping!

The video does make me wish I'd opted for a red case, though...

[darkcruix]

What are you doing? I've got a fever and the only cure is more PING! Why are you getting rid of ping????

There's no such thing as too much ping!

The video does make me wish I'd opted for a red case, though...

Thinking about the same... I have seen two videos about the red cases so far and I must say ... there is a chance, I spend the money on it I just would love to see a red case with dark gray keys...